JOURNALS & ARTICLES ABOUT ECONOMIC HISTORY
Choose 6 articles among various journals given and answer the following questions.
1) If you had to follow only one of those journals, which one would you like
choose? Why?
I would definitely choose JESHO. Because this Journal is usually focusing on the region called “Middle East”. What “Orinet” refers to is the “easts” of the world rooted from Torah and Bible. It is also concerned about the far history which is generally gathered under “Biblical Studies” or “Middle East Studies”. It is a great source of information and research for students, especially alumni of economics. I was quite familiar with this journal from my previous studies but the issue with this journal is the articles done by Hebrew University or focused on the Ottoman Era of any Middle Eastern province are not provided open access. Actually they are the highest charged ones. Because, in Palestine, Transjordan, Syria and Israel there are countless Ottoman archive buildings. They are sealed for any researcher but the permitted ones. So, any articles that are written on this Era takes its power from our archives but you may not achieve the original text but someone’s interpretation. Still a valuable journal but most of the writers are known by their deep orientalist background.
2) Analyze each article article considering following points; — don’t forget to
address each one separately-
Article 1 : Abacı,Z.; Akiba, J; Coşgel,M; Ergene, B. (2023): Judiciary and Wealth in the Ottoman Empire, 1689–1843; Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 66: 43–84.
1) research question/s
This article examines the accumulation, temporal variation, and inequality of wealth in the Ottoman judiciary between the late seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries. In this regard, Kısmet-i Askeriyye registers in Istanbul were used. Also some sijill registers and tereke registers were used to support the study. To explore the accumulation and inequality of wealth among the Ottoman judiciary, researchers calculated the inflation-adjusted levels of net and gross wealth at the time of death and contextualized these figures by comparing them with a few contemporary economic indicators. Study grabs the attention on how wealth levels varied among the judicial personnel according to their service, the jurisdictions in which they served, and their rank.
2) methodology.
-They used the mentioned registers.
-They determined the mean, the median and the standard deviation of the distribution and the minimum and maximum values of the gross and
net wealth for specific subgroups.
-They also calculated the Gini coefficient and the coefficient of variation (standard deviation / mean) as conventional measures of inequality for comparison across subgroups and subperiods.
-They interpret the results in that period of historical context.
3) main results
The results show low to moderate levels of wealth accumulation, high levels of overall inequality in the entire sample, and some interesting variations between subgroups.
Regarding the latter, the levels of inequality were lower among the judges (kadıs) and deputy judges (naibs) serving in higher-order jurisdictions (mevleviyets) than among those who were inactive or serving in ordinary posts. For each group, measures of inequality were typically higher for net wealth than for gross wealth. Since the main difference between gross and net wealthwas the amount of debt paid out of inheritance, higher inequality in net wealth was likely due to greater variation in borrowing behavior.
When it is generally agreed by scholars that the economic conditions of the judicial functionaries deteriorated consistently after the sixteenth century they found out that a significant decline in wealth accumulation as reflected in the terekes starting in the latter decades of the eighteenth century, a period of devastating wars and economic turmoil in Ottoman history. Scholars have blamed this decline primarily on the increasing numbers of candidates for stagnant numbers of judicial appointments, a situation that led to shorter tenure times and longer waiting periods. They observed a more pronounced inequality during the same period.
4) Why did you particularly choose this article? Please explain the reason behind it.
First of all it was a periodic study which gives comprehensive information about the economic situation about almost 2 centuries of Ottoman history. Secondly, in the initial part, to express the hierarchy of Ottoman jurisprudence, a detailed part was included. Thirdly it was a methodological study that a freshmen can grab the steps of such a complex work. Last but not least, it was providing a great source in order. A new researcher may see from where both historical and economic data could be gathered. To illustrate I would like to add some pictures;
Article 2 : Forste, K.M. (2023): Arboriculture and Viticulture as Investment in the Early Islamic Levant: An Archaeobotanical and Historical Investigation of the Site of Ashkelon; Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 66: 85–119
1) research question/s
The article investigates the role arboriculture played in the agricultural economy in the southern Levant as centers of production moved away from rural agricultural estates and focused instead on urban centers. Integrating this evidence with archaeobotanical data from Early Islamic deposits at the archaeological site of Ashkelon, located on the southern Mediterranean coast of modern-day Israel. It is mostly an urban-economics paper but includes remarkable details.
2) methodology.
-Researcher combines both historical and archeological data.
-Researcher gives some terminology regarding economics to describe the economic activities of the field from recent studies.
-Researcher mentions almost all of the literature done in this field and draws a place for Ashkelon in economic stream and history; then makes the conclusion.
3) main results
Researcher from the historical and archaeological evidence of agricultural economies in the southern Levant during the Early Islamic period he gathered, points to a shift away from extensive arboriculture, where orchards extend across more and that is not always amenable to cultivation (as seen in the Negev). Instead they point to a shift toward intensive arboriculture, where a larger number and variety of plants are cultivated closer together, as in urban gardens or orchards.
The evidence of specialized arboriculture at Ashkelon builds a picture of a flourishing, vegetated city with sophisticated agricultural risk management strategies. If the place of trees and vines in the economy was understood, we can envision these plants in their physical space alongside the buildings and streets and courtyards preserved in the archaeological record, and blanketing the terrain outside the city walls. The people living in Ashkelon made a commitment to growing trees and vines and invested in spaces to accommodate them and ways to use them, in turn investing in the physical and economic structures of their city and forging a symbiotic relationship between agricultural and artisan economies.
4) Why did you particularly choose this article? Please explain the reason behind it
Firstly, it was a good example that archaeological data was included in the economic study. Secondly, it was built on great literature of both economic and historical aspects of Ashkelon (which can be understood in the full 10 pages of bibliography). Thirdly, it required a good methodology in terms of data collecting and interpretation. Some pictures from article;
Article 3: Saleh, M (2018): On the Road to Heaven: Taxation, Conversions, and the Coptic-Muslim Socioeconomic Gap in Medieval Egypt, The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 78, №2, p. 394–434.
1) research question/s
The researcher examines the Coptic-Muslim SES (socioeconomic status) gap in Egypt to self-selection on-SES during Egypt’s conversion from Coptic Christianity to Islam. Limitation of research was determined by a poll tax on non-Muslims, imposed from 641 until 1856, which induced poorer Copts to convert to Islam leading Copts to shrink into a better-off minority.
2) methodology.
-Researcher use novel data sources.
-Researcher mentions the literature done before in detail.
-Researcherakes the interpretation and concludes.
3) main results
Researcher traced the origins of the superior SES of the Coptic Christian minority in Egypt to the tax system that was imposed upon the Arab Conquest of the then-Coptic Christian Egypt in 641. He says he hypothesized that the poll tax, a regressive tax removed upon conversion to Islam, led to the shrinkage of Copts into a better-off minority. He first drew suggestive evidence on the hypothesis from the long-term trends of the poll tax, Copts’ population share, and the Coptic-Muslim SES gap. Yhen documented that districts that were subject to a higher poll tax in 641–1100 had relatively fewer Copts in 1200, 1500, and 1848–1868, who were differentially richer in 1848–1868. Finally, he argued that the persistence of the initial positive selection of non-convert Copts is due to group restrictions on access to apprenticeships and schooling that qualified a child to practice white-collar and artisanal occupations. At the end, he comes up with two further research idea which were; an intriguing feature of the poll tax is that it likely lied on the wrong side of the Laffer curve in the sense that an increase in the poll tax rate eroded the tax base (via conversions) and thus reduced the total poll tax revenues. Second is the examination of other non-Muslim minorities.
4) Why did you particularly choose this article? Please explain the reason behind it
Firstly, the researcher was quite famous in his field and was able to present in different languages including Arabic and French. Second is his way of interpretation, it was not just economically limited but also social and some psychological aspects were included. Also econometric modeling was well designed and gradually developed. Last one is that the subject of the research was witty to be taken into consideration even today’s interactions and relationships among minorities and Muslims in Egypt. Some pictures from article;
Article 4: Pamuk,Ş & Shatzmiller, M. (2014): Plagues, Wages, and Economic Change in the Islamic Middle East, 700–1500
1) research question/s
This study establishes long-term trends in the purchasing power of the wages of unskilled workers and develops estimates for GDP per capita for medieval Egypt and Iraq. Wages were heavily influenced by two long-lasting demographic shocks, the Justinian Plague and the Black Death and the slow population recovery that followed. Actually it was quite hard to examine such a big period of time and geography but the study was promising to give good ideas about the disaster-economy in such historical data.
2) methodology
-They collected historical data from Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Iraq but especially from Geniza documents.
-Also translated these docs and added waqf properties papers which are second biggest resource
-They calculated the purchasing power of unskilled workers (also bare bones baskets) and made tables
-Years of Plagues reached to each region and analysis of before after Plague values
-Compared again the historical narratives and hypothesized statements and made conclusions.
3) main results
They find out that, with some partial if not full recovery of the population, both real wages and per capita incomes began to decline from these high levels. The wage and price evidence for Egypt and to a lesser extent for Iraq makes clear that the Justinian Plague had a similar to Black Death and long-lasting impact in the region.
The environment of labor shortages, high labor incomes, and high per capita wealth in the aftermath of these plagues could stimulate increases in productivity in agriculture, urban economy, and long distance trade by creating demand for income elastic goods, both domestic and imported.
4) Why did you particularly choose this article? Please explain the reason behind it
The selected period of time was generally considered the golden age of Islam so I wanted to see in a deeper extent whether it was the same for the workers and ordinary people who are facing Plagues and many obstacles. After the article I might say it was still the golden age of the Islam but some socioeconomic and institutional fluctuations were in the stage. Other than this, the article was covering a big period of time and geography so I wanted to see how it was sealed within economic matters. Again last reason was the article bases most of the sources to legal archive registers and early Islamic scholar’s narratives. Some.pictures from it;
Article 5: Frank D. Lewis, Compensation and the abandoned property of the 1948 Palestinian refugees: Assessment and implications,Explorations in Economic History,Volume 44, Issue 4, 2007, Pages 523–537
1) research question/s
Well, this was a purposeful article made by economic and historical data but includes some non-objective interpretations. According to researchers; “The urban property abandoned by refugees is valued on the basis of transfer prices, tax payable, and inferences about rent. The estimated value of the property is much higher than was reported by the United Nations Conciliation Commission in 1951. Still the total implied by this paper and [Lewis, 1996] is such that if Israel were to pay the overall loss as compensation, the transfers are unlikely to have a serious impact on its economy.” This was quite problematic even if it was compensated by Israel would be worthless to the economy. If the properties were calculated in a proper way it would be meaningful.
2) methodology
-Researcher makes a lot of self references which are not appropriate in terms of academic methodology.
-Values of properties were calculated in that day’s values but not give in terms of today’s values so it gives overall 2.5 million dollars to be paid by Israel which is such a small number
-Conceptual framework was biased to the author’s ideas.
3) main results
Rural and urban property loss was calculated. Israel’s compensation and “right of return” was discussed. The researcher thinks that compensation would be inefficient for the Palestinian economy and right of return is also inefficient where already occupied areas are infrastructure and developed.
4) Why did you particularly choose this article? Please explain the reason behind it
I heard of the author before as he was famous for being pro-Israel orientalist. The way they manipulate the economical data and interpretation draws a picture that these lands and properties were “abandoned” not ethnically cleansed. Also he gives many United Nation reports but never mentions the recognized private and waqf properties by the UN in 1930–31 / 48/ 67. If they were accurately calculated in today’s values it would be a great number and remarkable for the economy.
Article 6: Mojgan Stegl, Joerg Baten, Tall and shrinking Muslims, short and growing Europeans: The long-run welfare development of the Middle East, 1850–1980, Explorations in Economic History, Volume 46, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 132–148
1) research question/s
The researcher says: “In this study we examine anthropometric data for eight countries in the Middle East for the period 1850–1910, and we follow those countries until the 1980s. The Middle East had a relatively good position during the mid-19th century, if human stature or real wages are considered, but much less so in terms of GDP per capita. Initially low population densities allowed better anthropometric outcomes. The height advantage was due, among other factors, to easier access to animal products. All indicators suggest that the Middle East lost ground after the 1870s relative to the industrializing Countries.” Even attributing this Era as if it was the subject of anthropology but not the history draws the frame in his mind.
2) methodology.
-The researcher gives a great extend of literature of that period of European and Asian economic situation
-Then he gives the Middle Eastern data
-Makes interpretation and conclusions
3) main results
In general, both GDP per capita and heights diverged in the course of the 20th century. However, the picture for the 19th century is fundamentally different. During the 1850s and 1860s, when the Middle Eastern countries still had a height advantage over the Western world, GDP per capita was already higher in the industrializing countries. He also expresses that they need more data and complains about how Ottoman military records were providing small amounts of details.
4) Why did you particularly choose this article? Please explain the reason behind it
It was another orientalist methodology of interpreting the Middle East and Late Ottoman-New Modern Era. It is a well known method of comparing economies from anthropometric measurements and achievement of nutritious food but it requires a lot of background information where especially the told Era was full with wars and disasters. In such studies interpretation is so hard and important to draw a general picture of a part of history and shed light on the real structure of the economy.
*For last two articles there is no picture because they were not provided as a pdf file but as a text.
I chose 6 articles from 3 different journals because I wanted to see the publishing perspective of the journals rather than choosing each from a different one. Also I chose my articles more or less about the same era or geographical limit to understand deeper for a specific subject.
